‘Not on my watch’: Meet an American hero running for U.S. Senate in Nebraska

by Meghan

Wednesday, Feb 26, 2014 at 2:44 PM EDT

As the midterm elections draw nearer, Glenn is focused on highlighting promising candidates from around the country. On radio this morning, Shane Osborn, the former Nebraska state treasurer who is running the U.S. Senate seat vacated by retiring Senator Mike Johanns (R-NE), joined Glenn to discuss his military service, his campaign, and what he believes are the most important issues facing the country.

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“I want to introduce you to a guy who’s not on the [program] for this particular reason, but I find it amazing because this was a time in 2001 where everybody was, I think, on the same page for a minute there. We were like wow, look at the evil Chinese empire as they force one of our planes down and then steal all of the stuff in it,” Glenn said. “If you remember right, the guys on that plane were real heroes. I mean they dismantled everything they could, tried to destroy as much as they could before the Chinese got onto the plane and it was quite an ordeal. The lieutenant that was on that plane is Shane Osborn. He’s now running for the U.S. Senate in Nebraska, and he’s with us now.”

As a Lieutenant Commander in the U.S. Navy, Shane and his 23-person crew came into the national consciousness in April 2001 when a Chinese fighter jet struck the aircraft Shane was piloting mid-flight. The engines, nose, and wing of the plane were severely damaged as the plane nosedived. After managing to land the aircraft safely, Shane and his crew were taken into Chinese custody. Shane was separated from his crew and spent the next 12 days under intense interrogation before being released.

“I always tell people: What does being a good Navy pilot have to do with being a good U.S. Senator? Not a lot. But at least you know I don’t give up,” Shane explained. “When you are 26-years-old, and you’re in charge of your crew and you are taken off at gunpoint and kept awake for almost seven straight days you find out what you are made of, and how important your faith is to you, and you put your crew first. And that’s what we did.”

After retiring from the Navy in 2005, Shane served as Nebraska state treasurer from 2007 to 2011. In relation to his Senate run, Shane has already been endorsed by FreedomWorks, and he has been touted as a strong conservative voice. Glenn couldn’t help but wonder, however, why Shane would choose to go to Washington.

“You have been tied to a chair by the Chinese. What are you crazy – this is going to be worse,” Glenn joked. “Why would you go to Washington?”

“We have a saying in the Navy that many men and women have given their lives for: Not on my watch. That’s why I’m running,” Shane explained. “That’s why I extended my tour later that year when September 11th occurred and flew some of the initial combat mission information Afghanistan. When I got out of the Navy in 2005, I ran as a state treasurer in Nebraska. I want to give back. This country is worth it.”

“I grew up raised by a single mom, who worked three jobs, ran the veterans home, and those veterans taught me the true meaning of service and self,” he continued. “I’m keeping promise that I may to the lord when I was sitting in China. We have to fight for your country. The least we could do is have people in Washington that will put the country first like our men and women in uniform do every single day. That’s the least we can expect.”

There are countless problems facing the country today, but Glenn asked Shane to prioritize his top three concerns. The debt, energy independence, and veteran affairs topped the list.

Debt

First and foremost is the debt. It’s unsustainable. When I was state treasurer, I cut government. I shrunk my budget 12%. I reduced debt 28%. How many candidates have you ever interviewed could you that they shrunk government? I’ve done it. And I know it’s tougher down there in Washington DC, but Nebraskans and Americans realize we have to live within your means. It’s the only way we can leave this country better off than we received it.

Energy Independence

Number two, as I travel around our state of Nebraska – I put on over 40,000 miles – and I can tell you: It is the regulators that are killing this economy. It’s even worse than the tax code, which needs to be fixed. If we could get the regulators out of the way an work towards North American energy independence, the millions of jobs, the infrastructure, the diversified energy portfolio we have here, it would be a huge boom to our economy.

Veterans

My third point is keeping our promise to veterans. We are not doing it. We are chewing our men and women up, sending them on four or five deployments. I formed the foundation here the Nebraska that helps fund PTSD clinics.

Back in 2009, I led the rallies against Obamacare. I was saying the same things then that I am saying now: It’s failing miserably. We are all seeing it. That’s why he’s delaying the business mandate. It will crumble under its own weight. And what they want in the end game is government-run socialized medicine. If you want to see how that works, we don’t feed to go to Europe, we don’t need to go to Canada. Just go to the local VA. It’s the largest healthcare system in our country, and it’s completely government-run.

Our veterans are dying every day because they can’t get access to healthcare. They keep throwing more money at the VA. It doesn’t work. Guys and gals coming back, it is taking them 12 to 24 months just to get processed through. And if we treat veterans this way with government run healthcare, how do you think they are going to treat the average citizen?

“I appreciate your willingness to run and willingness to serve,” Glenn concluded. “I wish you the best of luck.”

Shane Osborn or Ben Sasse? And if one over the other why? Could we go wrong either way? If McConnell directs donors to Osborn just because Sasse is supported by the Senate Conservative Fund should that matter to us? Have the two men talked to each other? Is it healthy to pick a side just because McConnell picked the other for the sake of fighting DeMint? Please discuss.

Matt

Robert, I think you ask a very important question. It is one that I have asked myself because essentially these two candidates, at least in the way they present themselves, are in agreement on many of the issues. We get to choose the best candidate.so what are the next pieces that we need to think about in what is considered important in a senator. In my opinion, Ben Sasse has those things and would make a better Senator. He has already stood up to Republican and Democrat leadership. He seems very intelligent, has leadership in the private sector, and can walk in the halls of Congress on day one beholden to nobody and one of the foremost experts on Health care and how to fix it. I have also heard him and Osborn in person and it isn’t close. Sasse is just better. Osborn is a hero, no doubt, but seems, from the outside, to be cashing in on fame rather than genuinely qualified. Also if there is any doubt about him being in somebody’s pocket then you have to vote against that if all other things are equal. Maybe Osborn would be fine but, from what I have seen, Sasse would be great.

☗☗☗ ☗☗䷳☗ ☗☗☗ ☗�☗☗ ☗☗☗We were set way behind on our defensive efforts at protection our country due to his poor judgement.

J Connor

I’m glad to see someone else in this quandary. Do we know if/when they might be having town hall meetings and/or debates? I’d really like to see these guys in person and ask them some pointed questions to see if they differentiate themselves. All in all, I think they’re both good. Question is, can they stay that way in the Washington cesspool…. I know he wasn’t perfect, but I feel like Johanns tried to remain honorable in how he conducted himself. But we need someone who will be a bit more outspoken (e.g. Cruz) if there is any hope of reversing the damage done by the progressives in both parties over the past century.

Dale Drake

Shane is a traitor. He landed one of the most technically advanced spy planes in the world on an enemy’s military base. They then tore it apart and kept it for months to copy, study and steal our secrets. We were set way behind on our defensive efforts at protection our country due to his poor judgement. If he really believed in his oath, the crew should have bailed out and then he should have destroyed the plane and let crash into the ocean once he bailed out. The Chinese would have rescued them, kept them a similar amount of time in jail and we would have been protected. I will not vote for him and I will campaign against him.

Stuck_in_Ca

Good call DD, he should have flown it straight into the ocean and killed himself and everyone else on board right? I suppose that’s what you would have done?

Anonymous

You’re probably not too familiar with what Shane did for a livin’, and obviously weren’t part of his crew…reckon you value hardware more than lives…ever ditched a highly modified dinosaur before?? Know anything about cold water survival?? Shane Osborne and his crew got put in a bad place real quick, they survived by the Grace of God and some pretty voodoo airmanship on the part of that crew and Shane in particular. No, he’s no traitor, he kept the faith, and you’ve never been ‘there’ before so you’re clueless as to what or who he kept the faith with. You have no business callin’ anybody a traitor. Shudup.

Thomas Aquinas

Certainly, the simple freedom to vote one’s self into servitude, thus giving up liberty, is not liberty at all.